No study of Lilith would be complete without a discussion of the demon Azazel. This is true because several clues in many ancient texts - including the Torah, the Zohar, and the First Book of Enoch - indicate that Azazel was the seed of Lilith. The texts further hint that Azazel was not the product of Lilith mating with any ordinary man, but rather he was the firstborn seed resulting from her illicit mating with Semjaza, the leader of a group of fallen angels called Watchers. As the seed of the Watchers, Azazel was the first born of the Nephilim, a race of powerful angel-man hybrids who nearly pushed ordinary mankind to extinction before the flood. But Azazel was much more than just a powerful Nephilim. Regular Nephilim were the products of the daughters of Adam mating with Watchers. Azazel was the product of Lilith mating with the Watchers. He is thus less human than all, and the most powerful, even more powerful than the Watchers who sired him. Azazel’s role in the Yom Kippur ceremony of Leviticus 16 indicates he is a rival to Messiah and God. This identifies Azazel as the legendary seed of the Serpent of Eden. God declared in his curse against the Serpent that this great seed would bruise the heel of Eve’s promised seed (Messiah), but Eve’s seed in turn would crush the head of the Serpent Lilith and destroy her seed. Upon the Serpent’s seed God heaped all the curses associated with the sins of Lilith and Lucifer in causing man to fall. This heaping of all sin is repeated in ancient references to Azazel. In Leviticus all the sins of Israel are placed on the scapegoat sent to Azazel. In First Enoch it is said, “ascribe to him the whole sin”.

Identifying Azazel as the seed of Lilith is a revolutionary revelation. He has long been considered a demon or fallen Watcher by scholars and laymen. In first Enoch, when Azazel suddenly appears after the Watchers began cavorting with women, readers naively assume he is late appearing Watcher. This is an easy mistake to make. For although Azazel appears late, when he does show up his acts are always listed at the forefront of all the Watchers’ sins, and Azazel does seem to take a dominate position over the Watchers, even over Semjaza their leader. Scholars even go so far to explain how Azazel jumped to prominence over Semjaza by claiming two versions of the story were clumsily pieced together by later editors. In one version Semjaza was the leader, in the other Azazel was the leader. However, no such editing was done. No where does First Enoch state Azazel was a Watcher. Close examination of the text reveals he is treated differently than the Watchers, and his treatment is consistent with him being a seed of the Watchers, an incredibly powerful seed.

The Zohar of Kabalah associates Azazel with the Serpent Lilith. It even implies he is the seed of Lilith. A few old legends hint at this possibility also. But the most conclusive evidence for identifying Azazel as the seed of Lilith comes from the Bible itself. Leviticus 16 states that the scapegoat of the Yom Kippur ceremony was given “to Azazel”. By carefully studying the Yom Kippur ceremony and its spiritual and mystical significance, one reaches the conclusion that Azazel must the infamous seed of the Serpent. This seed featured prominently in God’s curses against the Serpent in the garden. And since Lilith is the serpent, it is clear that Azazel is her son.

Azazel in First EnochThe ancient work that undoubtedly illuminates the most details on Azazel’s background is the First Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch (sometimes called the Ethiopian Enoch). The book is an ancient Jewish tome, dating to at least the first century BCE, and most likely much earlier. It chronicles the tales of the prophet Enoch and the Watchers, a certain group of angels that God had assigned to watch over the affairs of man after Adam’s fall and Jehovah’s subsequent departure from earth. The book holds that in the course of time the Watchers became so infatuated by the beauty of the daughters of men, they gave up their first estate in heaven in order to descend to earth and have illicit sexual relations with women. This unholy union lead to the creation of the Nephilim, a race of giants that roamed the pre-flood earth. According to 1 Enoch the Nephilim’s supernatural strength and evil aggressive nature threatened to push ordinary man to extinction. Interestingly enough, it is during the time of the Nephilim that Azazel suddenly appears on the scene in 1 Enoch . 1 Enoch reveals that Azazel was a major figure in corrupting man. He taught men the art of warfare, and taught women lust and instigation of adultery. It is for these reasons that God, seeing the imminent disaster against Adam’s linage, intervened and destroyed the Nephilim with Noah’s flood. At that time God imprisoned Azazel and the Watchers in the earth, so that they might not repeat their mischief, and so that Noah and his seed might inherit the post-flood earth.

Although 1 Enoch is considered an apocryphal work by most churches today, it is perhaps the most highly regarded and accepted of all an apocryphal works. As we shall see, its rendition of events concerning the Nephilim and Noah’s flood are consistent with events discussed in Genesis and rabbinic tradition. Although 1 Enoch is not the part of the Canon of Scripture of most Jewish synagogues or Christian Churches, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does regard it as inspired Scripture. 1 Enoch’s acceptance by the first century Jewish Essene sect at Qumran is confirmed by fragments from multiple copies being found in the Dead Sea scrolls. 1 Enoch was also accepted by some early Christian fathers. In Jude 1:14 the writer reminds his audience of the prophecies of Enoch. His statement presumes that a record of these prophecies were known and circulated among his audience. Since no such prophecies are written in the Bible, the source to which Jude referred was quite possibly the version of 1 Enoch handed down to us today. Critical elements of events laid out in 1 Enoch are also confirmed by Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4, and 1 Peter 3:19, 20. Jude 1:6 confirms 1 Enoch’s and Genesis’s version of events regarding the Watchers leaving heaven to cavort with women. It states, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he [God] hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” These Watchers are apparently referred to again in 2 Peter 2:4-5, which warns that God will not show mercy to false prophets, just as he “spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah.” In 1 Peter 3:19-20 there is another apparent reference events portrayed in 1 Enoch. It refers to Jesus visiting and preaching to spirits cast in prison since before the days of Noah’s flood. This is apparent reference to the imprisoned Watchers. In 1 Enoch they begged the prophet to petition on their behalf to Jehovah, in order to secure forgiveness for their actions. But Enoch complained he was but a man, and who was he to petition for angels who were sent to look after man? Enoch’s inability to petition for the angels stands in contrast to Jesus, who 1 Peter 3:19-20 reminds us visited these angels with authority to preach and forgive sin.

Given the above apparent references to the Watchers in the New Testament, it certainly seems like the early church fathers certainly agreed with 1 Enoch’s main tenants concerning the Nephilim and Watchers. Several modern scholars had noted the remarkable similarity between 1 Enoch and the theistic language and terminology found in the New Testament. This similarity is so strong, for many centuries it was presumed that Enoch was penned in the New Testament era. However, copies found at Qumran now prove that Enoch pre-dates Christianity by at least hundreds of years. If anything, the New Testament borrowed from 1 Enoch or an earlier source common to both.

Let us now review the two main accounts we have available concerning the Watchers and the Nephilim. The first is the most detailed account available, which is 1 Enoch. We shall then compare this account to a careful reading of Genesis version. We shall see that although Genesis has less details concerning the events, Genesis supports every major element of the 1 Enoch account of the Watchers and the flood.